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Using Geospatial Technologies for Sustainable Urban Development

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability in Geographic Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2021) | Viewed by 9349

Special Issue Editors

Department of Geomatic and Surveying Engineering Technology, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Moose Jaw, SK, S6H 4R4, Canada
Interests: remote sensing; LiDAR; Soil Erosion; landslide; urban park; Saskatchewan
Social Sciences Research Laboratories (SSRL), University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5A5, Canada
Interests: geography; GIS; spatial statistics; health geography; transport geography

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In 2015, the United Nations introduced an action-oriented agenda in the form of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the sustainable development and welfare of the current and future generations. Though all the SDGs are equally important, SDG 11 mainly deals with sustainable urban development and is crucial for a rapidly growing urban population. A general trend of people moving from rural areas to cities has been observed in many parts of the world. This fast-paced urbanization brings many challenges pertaining to its sustainability. These challenges may include the availability of civic services (education, health care, housing, recreation, and transportation), law enforcement for crime prevention/monitoring, and unplanned/uncoordinated urban sprawl.Considering cross-sectoral interactions between different SDG targets, SDG 11 is explicitly linked with poverty (SDG 1), good health/well-being (SDG 3), clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), industry, innovation, and infrastructure (SDG 9), and reduced inequalities (SDG 10). Geospatial technologies like remote sensing and the geographic information system can be used to determine relationships between people, place, and environment. Thus, a problem can be identified using these technologies before proposing a solution to the concerning questions. This Special Issue seeks identification of the challenges faced by sustainable urban development using geospatial technologies. Implementation strategies for sustainable urban development will also be included in this Special Issue. Researchers around the world are requested to submit their research papers, short essays, and opinion papers addressing SGD 11 (sustainable cities and communities) using geospatial technologies.

Dr. Abdul Raouf
Dr. Tayyab Shah
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • GIS
  • remote sensing
  • SDG
  • urban development
  • slum areas
  • crime analysis
  • spatial analysis
  • spatial accessibility

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2712 KiB  
Article
Elderly Suitability of Park Recreational Space Layout Based on Visual Landscape Evaluation
by Weiyi Yu, Hong Hu and Bindong Sun
Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6443; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13116443 - 05 Jun 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3320
Abstract
Urban parks are critical for sustainable urban development. They are of theoretical and practical significance for analyzing the visual landscape of recreational spaces from the perspective of the elderly. This analysis can be used for exploring new methods for optimizing recreational space layouts [...] Read more.
Urban parks are critical for sustainable urban development. They are of theoretical and practical significance for analyzing the visual landscape of recreational spaces from the perspective of the elderly. This analysis can be used for exploring new methods for optimizing recreational space layouts to improve the physical and mental health of the elderly in parks, thus realizing the sustainable development of urban society. Taking Ziyang Park in Shangrao Central District of Jiangxi Province, China, as an example, starting from the visual characteristics of the elderly, this study quantitatively calculated the landscape viewability, total view ratio, and water view ratio for the elderly in each recreational space using Python Scripting for ArcGIS. We briefly express the elderly suitability of the visual landscape for each recreational space through a weighted synthesis of the calculation results. Our findings show that, in Ziyang Park, the elderly suitability of the visual landscape for recreational spaces is not only low overall, but also gradually decreases from the interior to the exterior of this park. Moreover, this spatial distribution may be caused by the location of zoning, surface elevation, and road slopes, as well as the individual characteristics of each recreational space. Finally, we discuss the requirements of the elderly for some geographical factors, along with the feasibility of using ArcGIS 3-D analysis to optimize the layout of the park recreational space, with the aim of providing a new research perspective and an effective reference method for designing layouts of such spaces that are favorable for the elderly to better guarantee the sustainable development of urban society. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Using Geospatial Technologies for Sustainable Urban Development)
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27 pages, 14440 KiB  
Article
Predict and Simulate Sustainable Urban Growth by Using GIS and MCE Based CA. Case of Famagusta in Northern Cyprus
by Can Kara and Naciye Doratlı
Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4446; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13084446 - 16 Apr 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2655
Abstract
The research study utilizes Multi Criteria Evaluation (MCE) method in geographic information systems (GIS) environment and uses MCE suitability maps with Cellular Automata (CA) for predicting and simulating sustainable urban development scenarios in Famagusta City. It represents first scenario-based simulations of the future [...] Read more.
The research study utilizes Multi Criteria Evaluation (MCE) method in geographic information systems (GIS) environment and uses MCE suitability maps with Cellular Automata (CA) for predicting and simulating sustainable urban development scenarios in Famagusta City. It represents first scenario-based simulations of the future growth of Famagusta as “do-nothing” and “sustainable”. Under the do-nothing scenario, Markov Chain probability analysis with CA models is used with temporal land-use/cover datasets based on the images from 2002 and 2011. It shows that, Famagusta City is moving away from sustainable development. Future expansion of both medium-density and low-density urban zones are always located around existing built-up urban area along transportation lines. A similar model is employed by applying sustainable urban development policies by the policy driven scenario. As a main goal, sustainable urban development includes three main criteria, compactness, environmental protection, and social equity. Additionally, brownfield development, distance from center, soil characteristics, soil productivity, vegetation, environmental protection areas (EPA), distance from local services, distance from open space are used as criteria with Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Having such a simulation with the combination of MCE, GIS, and CA has several advantages. Prediction of urban growth presents possible alternative development in the future; visualization of decision making easier for town planners and supports the spatial planning process; and creates more realistic results of our choices related to urban growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Using Geospatial Technologies for Sustainable Urban Development)
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17 pages, 2096 KiB  
Article
New Mobility Paradigm and Indigenous Construction of Places: Physical and Symbolic Mobility of Aymara Groups in the Urbanization Process, Chile
by Gonzalo Salazar and Paloma González
Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4382; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13084382 - 14 Apr 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2156
Abstract
In the current global scenario, in which mobility has been strongly impacted, it is relevant to highlight certain mobility experiences of Indigenous Latin American peoples, in which new cultural and geographical elements justify revisiting this phenomenon. In this context, the mobility of the [...] Read more.
In the current global scenario, in which mobility has been strongly impacted, it is relevant to highlight certain mobility experiences of Indigenous Latin American peoples, in which new cultural and geographical elements justify revisiting this phenomenon. In this context, the mobility of the Aymara ethnic group offers an opportunity for such a second look. Although the subject has been approached from the perspectives of internal migration processes and physical movement, as in other Latin American cases, studies have omitted some important aspects for its analysis, such as the practices, meanings, and political implications associated with mobility. Based on the new mobility paradigm, this article seeks to strengthen the perspective on mobility by researching rural-urban mobility practices and their meaning regarding the experiences of Aymara people who migrated from the rural municipality of Putre to settle in the city of Arica from the 1950s. At the same time, it is shown that these Aymara mobility practices imply spatiotemporal dynamics that are key for the construction of place, and allow for a widening of base elements that should be considered in the new mobility paradigm. This research is based on five years of ethnography, including mobile accompaniment and semi-structured interviews. This methodological approach has allowed researchers to explore how elements related to physical and symbolic mobility have constantly constructed relational spaces within the Arica and Parinacota region over time. This shows that mobility does not only refer to physical movement, but to politics, emotions, culture, and memory as well. From these results, the article examines and discusses key elements related to physical and symbolic mobility, and their implications in political and intercultural terms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Using Geospatial Technologies for Sustainable Urban Development)
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